The Albany Gazette - Indonesia rescuers find body from plane crash

The Indonesian Air Transport turboprop plane lost contact with the air traffic controller on Saturday afternoon while en route from Yogyakarta to the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island.

Among the debris, the joint search and rescue team found what is believed to be "the fuselage, the tail section, and the windows", local official Muhammad Arif Anwar told a press briefing.

The body of one victim was found on a steep mountain slope in the same area, said Arif, head of the Makassar search and rescue agency.

"One male victim was found... at a depth of roughly 200 meters (656 feet) in the ravine and near aircraft debris," he said.

Another local rescue official, Andi Sultan, confirmed a body had been recovered, saying the remains would be evacuated on Monday due to poor weather conditions.

A unit was also deployed by air to search for the missing passengers, according to Arif.

The plane crashed into Mount Bulusaraung in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, which borders the city of Makassar, Arif said.

Three government workers from the ministry of marine affairs and fisheries were on board the plane along with seven crew members.

Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the employees were on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the area.

The search on land and by air involved more than 1,000 people including members of the air force, police and volunteers.

Local military chief Bangun Nawoko told reporters that the search was hindered by harsh terrain and fog.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands. The country has a poor aviation safety record, with several fatal crashes in recent years.

In September, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan province, killing everybody on board.

Less than two weeks after the September crash, four people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the remote Papua district of Ilaga.

(P.Clark--TAG)